Oh, Boris!

On the day that Miss Cluck says there is going to be a new animal in the class, everyone is very excited. In fact, there are squeals of delight. Nobody expects the new animal to be a bear. So, when Boris takes his first hairy, scary, grizzly steps into the classroom, Leticia the rabbit, Fergus the fox cub, Maxwell the mole, and the little mice...scream! Of course, Boris doesn't mean to be scary. He only wants to make friends. Even so, his first day at school is miserable and lonely. It seems to him that no one wants to be his friend. However, when Boris inadvertently scares off some bullies (innocently trying to make friends once more) he truly endears himself to his classmates. Boris is a gentle giant and he immediately wins our affections. How Boris is perceived by his classmates and how those perceptions change as the story unfolds give this picture book real resonance for children everywhere who have experienced being new among an unfamiliar group. This big book couldn't be more size-appropriate to its central character-and is perfect for a group to 'paw' over.